Dolphins Searching For First Win Versus Raiders

If the Miami Dolphins play like they did in Week 1, they aren’t going to be winning many football games in the 2012-13 season. That being said, they should have a good chance to notch their first win of the season when the Oakland Raiders visit in Week 2.

Miami is currently listed as a 2.5-point home underdog and people making their NFL picks are giving them a decent shot at winning considering the Raiders played on Monday Night Football and will have to travel across the country on a short week.

There’s a lot of heat on rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill after he threw three picks, was sacked three times and compiled a quarterback rating of 39 in his first NFL start. He was under fire most of the day but the good news is that the Raiders likely won’t be able to pressure him as much. Oakland faced a San Diego Chargers team with all sorts of problems on their offensive line in Week 1 but they did little to stop Philip Rivers from complete 24-of-33 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown. Also, the Chargers scored 22 points even though they couldn’t run the ball worth a lick (32 yards on 20 carries).

The Dolphins could have similar offensive malfunctions but it’s good to know that they can still win this game even if that’s the case.

Oakland had a really rough time protecting their quarterback in their opener as they allowed three sacks. The Dolphins defense is considered to be a stronger unit than San Diego’s and playing at home should fire them up even more so.

This is a winnable game for Miami and an important one at that. If they can get a good game from Tannehill and earn a win, that’ll boost the team’s confidence in a big way heading into Week 3.